Building bridges with small businesses

How IHSA connects with our many smaller-scale members.

Small businesses are integral to Ontario’s economy. They’re also at the heart of everything IHSA does. Ninety per cent of our members have fewer than 20 full-time equivalent employees. We understand that small businesses can face challenges when it comes to investing in health and safety. That’s why we work to make many of our resources, products, and training courses available for free or at a low cost.

We’re also working to ensure small businesses know about those resources. Each month, IHSA receives a list of businesses that are newly registered with the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB). Typically, there are about 1,000 new businesses monthly in the construction, transportation, and electrical utilities industries. By registering with the WSIB, these businesses automatically become IHSA members.

IHSA’s focus is to connect with each one of them within 30 days of receiving their information from the WSIB. Our dedicated advisory team reaches out in various ways (phone calls, email, letter mail) to offer customized support, build relationships, and address specific business needs. Our priority is to ensure our small business members have a smooth, successful journey toward health and safety excellence by providing:

Free resources and guidance through a welcome email (and follow-up correspondence), as well as the latest issue of IHSA Health and Safety Magazine.

• Access to a dedicated small business webpage with relevant resources.
• Assistance with navigating health and safety legislation and its requirements.
• Connection to IHSA’s team of regional consultants for tailored support.
• More than 40 convenient, low-cost eLearning courses.
• Member-exclusive pricing for more than 100 in-person training courses.

“Our outreach to newly registered firms in 2024 has been extremely rewarding,” says Ken Rayner, Vice President of Market Development and Communications at IHSA. “We collaborated with our partners to expedite the process of reaching out to new firms and giving them access to free occupational health and safety resources—just weeks after registering with the WSIB.

The firms have been very receptive to our efforts.” IHSA is dedicated to supporting the unique needs of small businesses. We continue to expand our outreach efforts to build a culture of safety, excellence, and sustainability for small businesses throughout Ontario. For even more information and free resources designed with small businesses in mind, visit ihsa.ca/smallbusiness.

What small businesses are saying about working with IHSA

“I want to express my deep satisfaction and gratitude to the small business advisory team at IHSA. They were incredibly kind and took the time to explain all the benefits we can receive, including access to various training courses. As a company that is just starting out, it is very reassuring to know we have the backing of such a robust organization that is dedicated to helping us improve our processes and grow as a business.”

—Paramount Construction Solutions Inc.

“We have relied on IHSA as a vital resource to ensure our staff is consistently adhering to mandated health and safety guidelines. IHSA’s expertise and support have been instrumental in maintaining our high standards of safety and compliance. IHSA’s dedication to workplace safety makes it an invaluable partner for any organization committed to protecting its team.”

—Dunnfield Fire and Life Safety

“As a new small business, we greatly benefited from the resources found on IHSA.ca. They equipped us with the knowledge and confidence to develop our own robust health and safety procedures. Thanks to IHSA, our business is well-prepared and confident in its safety practices.”

—J&G Concrete Pumping